Method of making composite poppet valves



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.corrosion-resistant sheath Patented Dec. `2, 1947 METHOD OF MAKING CO POSITE POPPET VALVES John Wischhusen, Euclid, `and George D. Dolch, Jr., Cleveland, Ohio, assignors Ato Thompson Products, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application December 29, 1945;.' Serial No. 638,000

Claims. 1

This invention relates to the production of poppet valves for internal combustion engines and the like wherein the valve head is covered with a Y -in intimate bonded relation to the head.

Specifically this invention deals with the extrusion and coining of a bi-metal slug composed of a main body portion Vformed from tough, stressresistant steel alloy and a covering disk composed .of corrosion-resistant alloys or the like joined along a bowed weld line that is easily deformed to direct the corrosion-resistant alloy metal around and under the periphery of the valve head.

drical metal billet composed of forgeable stressresistant metal such as austentic steel has vone end face thereof covered with a disk of corrosionresistant metal. The disk and billet are integrally united by pressure welding in such a manner that the weld line will have an arcuate contour with the billet metal extending into the center of the disk and with the disk metal being thicker around its peripheral portion than at its central portion. The resulting bi-metal slug is then extruded through a die which reduces the diameter of the slug. The disk end of the slug enters the die iirst and the extruding operation draws the periphery of the disk back around the sides of the billet metal to produce a blank with an end portion covered by the disk metal both across the end of the blank and along the side of the blank adjacent this end. The billet end of the thus-formed blank is then extruded to reduce the billet metal to valve stem diameter, thereby elongating the metal and forming the valve stem. This second extrusion is terminated before the disk metal Vpasses completely through the extruding die, so

as to leave a head on the elongated stem which head is covered by the disk metal. The head is next coined in a coining die to atten it into valve head shape. The resulting valve head is completely sheathed or clad with the disk metal and this disk metal extends around the periphery of the head and under the head to provide a seating face for the valve. Since the grain bands of the billet metal run lengthwise of the billet, all ends of the grain bands are covered by the sheath at the head end of the valve. The longitudinally extending grain bands of the billet metal define the exposed stem surface with their sides only, and the resulting valve is, therefore, much more resistant to pitting or corrosion since corroding action is facilitated Whenv the grain bands of the In accordance with this invention, a solid cylinv covering for zei-156.7)

metal have their ends exposed to the corroding atmosphere It is, then, an object of this invention to prepare poppet` valves having the heads thereof covered with corrosion-resistant metal caps that are formed simultaneously with the formation of the valve andare integrally bonded to the valve A still further-objectA ofthe invention is to provide abi-metal poppet valve by pressure welding, extruding, and coining operations.

A still fur-ther object of the invention is to pressure-weld `a vcorrosion-resistantV disk to a stress-resistant billet by pressure welding in such a manner as to form a bowed weld line between the ldisk and billet which isA then readily deformed by Vextrucling-operations for forming a valve-head completely Vencased in disk metal. Y

,t Another-objectoftheinvention is to form a poppet valve from bi-metal slugs having a bowed weld line between the bi-metal parts of the slug that is so shaped `as to insure the drawing of one metal around the other metal in an extruding operation.

Another object of the invention is to prepare a poppet valve for internal combustion engines o1' the like composed of a body metal having the metal grain bands extending axially therethrough with the ends thereof covered at the head of the vvalve by a sheath of corrosion-resistant metal integrally bonded to the body metal so that all grain band ends in the vicinity of the head of the valve are covered. c

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art from the following detailed description of the annexed sheet `of drawings which, byway of a preferred example only, illustrates one embodiment of the invention.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a solid cylindrical metal billet Ato form the body portion of the valve of this invention,

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of a corrosion-resistant metal disk to form the sheath or the head of the valve of this invention. Y Y

Figure 3 is a side elevational view illustrating the manner in which vbillets and disks of Figures 1 and 2 are stacked and pressure-welded to produce an arcuate or bowed weld line between the disk and billet. Y Y Figure 4 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away and shown in vertical cross section, of a bi-metal slug formed by pressure-welding 3 and machining from the billet and disk of Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 5 is a Vertical crossesectional view, witl parts in side elevation, of an extrusion die il lustrating the manner in which the slug of Figure 4 is extruded to produce a blank for forming poppet Valves according to this invention.

Figure 6 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away and shown in vertical cross section, of a blank machined from the blank shown in Figure 5.

Figure 'l is a Vertical cross-sectional view, with parts in elevation, of an extrusion die with a valve blank formed therein from the blank of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view, with parts in elevation, of a coining die with a poppet valve formed therein from the blank shown in Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a side elevational view of a iinished poppet valve according to this invention.

Figure 10 is an axia1 cross-sectional view of a poppet valve formed according to this invention illustrating the grain bands in the body of the valve.

As shown on the drawings:

In Figure 1, the reference numeral I0 designates a cylindrical solid metal billet composed of forgeable stress-resistant metal such as austenitic steel. This metal is preferably resistant to heat and corrosion, and is therefore generally composed of a nickel-chromium alloy austenitic steel including a steel having the following formula:

Remainder substantially all iron.V

The billet I0 is provided with a clean, smooth, flat, end face Ia.

A solid cylindrical slab or disk II, which is much thinner than the billet I0 but which has about the same diameter as the billet I0, has a clean, flat, smooth end face IIa, provided thereon, as shown in Figure 2. This disk II is composed of corrosion-resistant metal, examples of which are: nickel, chromium, and iron alloys; nickel, molybdenum, and iron alloys; non-ferrous nickel-chromium alloys; chromium-tungsten alloys; and the like.

The disk I I is mounted on the billet I0 with the face IIa thereof in full seating engagement on the face Illa of the billet. As shown in Figure 3, a separator sheet I2 composed of mica, vor other heat-resistant material, is then placed yon top of the disk II. Another disk II is placed on top of this separator sheet I2, and another billet I0 is placed on top of the second disk. The resulting stack I3, shown in Figure 3, is then subjected to a pressure-welding operation. For this operation, pressures from about 4,000 to 6,000 lbs. per square inch of contacting surface I0a and IIa are used. When a metal billet I0 of about three inches in diameter and about one and onequarter inch high is used with a disk of the same diameter but about seven-eighths o f an inch high, pressures of about 5,700 lbs. per square inch of contacting surface are used. These pressures completely eliminate any gases or air from between the contacting surfaces and the surfaces are actually wrung together in intimate lfull contact. l

An oxyacetylene torch head (not shown) including a ring R" surrounding the stack shown in Figure 3 projects jets of llame at about 5500 F, against the metal of the stack. The torch head is reciprocated and oscillated so that the 4flame jets will not continually impinge upon the same spot of the assembly, but will heat the assembly adjacent each side of the contacting surfaces between the billet and disk. Instead of using an oxyacetylene torch ring, the heating may be accomplished by electrical induction through the use of suitable inductors (not shown). After about eleven minutes of exposure to a 5500 F. heat, the three inch diameter disks and billets are usually heated to welding temperatures below the melting points of the metals. Welding temperatures of around 2300 F. are reached. Since the disk metal is less plastic at the welding temperature than the billet metal, it is not softened as much as the billet metal, and the softer billet metal is depressed around the periphery of the weld line to form bowed or arcuate weld lines -I4. An outwardly bowed head I5 is also formed by metal displaced outwardly from the billet and disk.

The bead I5 is ground or machined off of the welded part to form a bi-metal slug shown at I6 in Figure 4. The bi-metal slug I6 has a main body portion IIa composed of the metal of the billet I0 and an end cover ISb composed of the disk metal I I. The weld line I4 between the portions IBa and IGZ) is bowed with the disk metal being thicker around the periphery of the blank than in the central portion of the blank. As will be hereinafter more fully explained, this arcuate weld line I4 facilitates drawing of the disk metal around the sides of the billet metal.

The slug of Figure 4 is subjected to an extruding operation in a die I'I shown in Figure 5. The die has an inlet passageway I8 of a diameter accommodating the slug I6. An extrusion throat or beveled seat I9 is provided at the bottom of the passageway I8 and extends inwardly to a reduced-diameter passageway 20, The slug I6 is heated to forging temperatures, dropped in the passageway I of the die I'I, and forced through the extrusion throat I9 with the disk portion I6b of the slug forming the leading end of the extruding blank. As shown in Figure 5, the slug I6 is extruded for most of its length to form a headed blank 2| having a main shank portion 22 reduced to the diameter of the passage 20 and a head portion 23 of the same diameter as the original slug I6. The disk metal portion 22a of the shank 22 is drawn around the sides of the billet metal portion 22h and the weld line I4 is thus materially deformedV to have a cup-shaped configuration illustrated at I4a. The extruding operation therefore not only reduces the diameter of the slug I6 to form the shank 22, but also simultaneously draws the disk metal around the leading end of the billet metal so Vthat the disk metal will extend over the sides of the leading end of the billet metal. This drawing operation facilitated by the initial bow of the weld line I4 since the peripheral portions of' the weld line are initially disposedat a higher level than the central portion thereof and the extrusion operation moves the peripheral portions of the weld line to a still higher level. Thus there is denite cooperation between the initial shape of the weld line I4 and the extruded shape I4a of the weld line with the initial shape guiding and controlling formation of the desired shape. The simultaneous extrusion for reduction of diameter and entre se drawing forA covering the. side faces .adjacentthe leading end'of' the billet with disk metal is yaccomplished without complications and is enhanced by the softer qualities of the billet metal.

After the extrusion operation, the headed blank 2| is removed from the die I1. The Vhead 23v of the blank 2| is thenground or. machined oi to provide a cylindrical blank 2 la shown in Figure 6.

Alternatively, the slug I 6 of Figure 4 can be topped with a metal chaser disk so that the entire slug can be forced through the extrusion throat I9 with the chaser forming the headed portion for the resulting blank. The chaser is then cut from the blank to produce a blank such as VEla.

As shown in Figure 7, a` second extrusion die 24 is provided to'dene a cylindrical inlet passageway 25 accommodating the blank 2|a. An extrusion throat or beveled seat 26 is provided at the bottom of the passageway 25 and converges to a cylindrical stem-defining passageway 2l'. The blank Zia, at-forging temperatures, is inserted in the passageway 25 of the die 24 with the billet metal portion 22h thereof forming the leading end of the blank. In other words', the blank 2|a is turned upside down from the position shown in Figure 6 and is inserted into the passageway 25 with the billet metal portion 22h thereof resting on the extrusionthroat 23. An extruding punch is then forcedinto the passageway 25 on top of the disk portion 22a. of the blank to force the leading end of the blank through the extrusion throat and form a reduced-diameter rod-like valve stem.- The extruding operation is terminated when the side walls of the diskportion 22a of the blank 2 la reach the dischargeend of the extrusion throat 26. A blank 28 is thereby produced. This blank 28 has a valve stem portion 29 composed entirely of the billet metal from the portion 22h of the blank 2|a. The portion of the billet metal which extends into the disk metal is stopped before this` portion passes through the extrusion throat. A head 29a is thereby provided on the stem 29. The blank 28 also has a head 30 surrounding the head 29a. This head 33 is composed of the disk metal 22a from the blank 2|a and is partially extruded at the leading ends of its sides as at30a to extend under the head 29a. Thus, the leading ends of the sides of the drawn disk portion 22a of the blank 2| a are extruded inwardly to the contour of the extrusion seat or throat 25 and, since the disk metal is harder than the billet metal, these inwardly deformed leading ends .30a will bite into the softer billet metal to form a neck portion 29h on the billet metal ,joining the head 29a with the stem 29. This neck portion is completelyv covered by the portion 33a of the disk metal. The blank 28 therefore has a stem or shank with an enlarged head on the end thereof completely encased in and clad by a sheath 30 composed of the disk metal., The extrusion operation is terminated before the disk metal is forced into the passageway 21 but after the extrusion throat or seat 26 has shaped the leading ends of the side walls of the disk metal. f -1 After the extrusion operation in the die 24, the blank 28 is removed from the die and is next inserted in the shaping cavity of a coining die 3| shown in Figure 8. The die 3| has a cylindrical cavity 32 of the same diameter as is desired for the poppet valve head. A beveled seat 33 converges inwardly from the bottom of the cavity 32 to a flat wall 34. The flat wall extends horizontally inwardly to a rounded neck-defining mouth-35 which 'converges to a reduced-diameter' cylindrical stem-receiving cavity 36.

The blank 28 is inserted into the die 3| with the stem 29thereof extending into the cavity 36 and with the head 30 thereof projecting freely into the cavity 32. A coining punch snugly fitting the cavity 32 then acts on the top of the head of the blank to flatten it and expand it radially to form the poppet valve head. A blank 31 is thereby-produced with a stem 38 formed from the billet metal of-the original billet IU. This stem 38 is cylindrical for the major portion of its length but flares outwardly at 38a over the neck 35 of the die to provide the poppet valve neck. The neck 38a extends radially into a head portion 38b completely encased in and clad by a covering 39 composed of disk metal from the original disk This covering 39 extends completely over the top of the head 38h and radially therebeyond to the diameter of the' cavity 32. It is formed by the seat 33 to have a beveled face 39a converging inwardly from its radial extremity to a level under the head and then extending radially in-y ward as at 39h to the neck 38a for underlapping a considerable area of the head 38D. Thus the portion 33a of the blank 28 is flattened with the adjacent portion 29h of the blank head 29a to completely underlap this portion 29h of the head.

In the blank 3l, the covering 39 is thus not only integrally bonded to the head 38h but it is also clinched onto the head 38h and Will never be separated from the head 381) in operation of the valve.

The coined blank 31 is removed from the die 3| and machined to form the finished poppet valve 40 shown in Figure 9. Only minor machining operations are necessary, such as, for eX- ample, to provide a beveled surface 40a around the top of the valve head, to provide a polished seating face 4027, to polish and machine the stem 40e to nished dimensions, and to provide a at bottom 40d on the tip end of the stem. The valve .43 thus" has the stem and neck portions thereof composed of the stress-resisting metal from the billet l0, and this metal extends into the head. The head is completely covered and clad with the corrosion-resistant metal from the disk Il but is backed up and fortified to better resist shock loads by the stress-resisting metal therein'. The corrosion-resistant metal not only covers the top of the billet metal, but also' surrounds the head portion of the billet metal to protect it from corrosive gases and the like encountered in an internal combustion engine by the head of an operating poppet valve. The seating face 40h for the valve is composed entirely of the corrosion-resistant metal.v

As shown in Figure 10, if the billet metal, as is customary, is cut from an elongated rod, it will have the grain bands thereof extending lengthwise or axially therethrough and the finished valve 40 of this invention therefore has metal grain bands 4I extending lengthwise of the stem and covered head portion thereof with these grain bands being bowed outwardly as at Ma in the head portion of the billet metal. The ends of the grain bands in the head portion of the billet metal are completely covered and encased in the cap or sheath 39 composed of the disk metal from the disk The only exposed grain band ends are at Mb in the very tip end of the stem, but these exposed grain band ends are never subjected to the corrosive action of gases in the combustion chamber and exhaust port of an internal combustion engine. All surfaces of the 'f7 billet metal Jeiirntsed tonnen norrositie action ase donned entirely by the sides l.of the grain ands and, as a result, the portion ci the valve ..hich is composed of metal selected primarily forstressresisting properties is :rendered more linfusion resistant because corrosive actionfand pitting are always enhanced on surfaces deli-ned Aby the ends of the metal .grain bands.

In addition, since the erging Operation only involves bowing of grain bands 13.0 .imm the head 38o of the billet metal, a toucher fibrous metal construction resultsl ,suchfas cannot be .produced hy lathe-turning ror machimg operations which out across the ,grain ,Qi the metal From the abone. deseriptmns-.it will he clear .that this invention provides an eccilum al method of making loi-metal poppet valves having enhanced stress-.resistance .and corrosion `resistance proporties. vIn the method of this invention, .c bimetal slug is extruded vand coined to lform a valve with the stem portion thereof composed of the stress-resisting metal of the slug and extending into the head portion of the valve, but with the :head portion being completely Surrounded with a covering of the corrosion-resisting metal of the slug to form the seating tace tor the valve as well as a protecting sheath f or the stress-ressting metal.

AIt will, of course, be understood that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range ,without departing from the principles .of this invention and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the 5.601?? .Qf the D- pended claims.

We claim as our invention:

l. The method of making composite Donnet valves which comprises covering a flat end ci stress-resisting metal billets with slabs of .corrosion-resistant metal having flat vfades mating with the flat faces .of the billets, placing a heatresistant separator on top -ofone slab on a billet, placing the slab on another billet on top of the heat-resistant separator, subjecting the resulting stack to pressures of from e900 to 6000 lbs. per square inch of contacting surfaces between the slabs and billets, imping'ing oxyacetylene lame jets at temperatures of about 5500 F. around the resulting stack in the vicinity of the contacting surfaces between the billets and slabs to heat the metals to welding temperatures o f around 2300 F., continuing the heat and pressure treatment for about eleven minutes until the stack bulges outwardly in the vicinity of the A,slabs and decreases in height to Ithereby weld. the slabs to the billets along a bowed weld line between the slabs and billets with the slab metal being thicker around its peripheral portion-.than at its central portion, removing the bulged portion `from the resulting loi-metal slugs, extruding a slug in a cylindrical extrudingdie for reducingvthe diameter of the slug and-with theslab metal forming the leading end of the extruding metal, simultaneously drawing the lslab metal around the sides of the billet metal during the extruding operation, extruding the resulting blank in a second extrusion die with -the billet rmetal forming the leading end of the extruding metal to Aform a blank with an elongated stem portion and a head portion clad with the slab metal, and lcoining the head portionof the elongated blank into poppet valveshape to produce a poppet valve head composed of both billet metal and slab metal with the sl b metal completely covering and underlapping the head portion ofthe billet metal.

2. The method of making composite poppet Maitres which comprises pressurefwelding a cor: resion-resistant metal slab .to the end ,-iace of a stresseresistant .metal billet for forming a biv- .metal slug having a lbowed weld yline between the metals thereof with the slab metal being thicker around the periphery .thereof than at -the central portion thereof, forcing .the slug through an eX-. trusion throat with the slab Ymetal forming the leading end 4of the slug to simultaneously reduce the diameter 'of the kslug and draw the slab metal around the sides .of the billet metal, extruding the resulting blank .through an extrusion throat with the billet metal forming the leading end of Athe blank, terminating said extruding operation before the slab metal passes through the extrusion throat to Aform an` elongated headed blank with the head portion 4thereof surrounded by the `slab metal, and coining the elongated headed .blank to flatten the head portion thereof into poppet valve shape lfor producing a poppet valve having .a composite head of stress-resisting metal completely encased in and surrounded by cor'- rosion-resistant metal.

`3. The method of making a composite poppet valve comprising a headed main body portion composed of stress-resistant steel and a corrosionresistant metal sheath integrally bonded to and completely surrounding the head portion of the body which comprises lforming a bi-metal slug with a main body portion having an end covered with a corrosion-resistant metal slab and integrally bonded thereto along a bowed weld line having its apex in the axial central portion of the slug, extruding the rslug through a cylindrical extrusion throat with the corrosion-resistant metal forming the leading end of -the slug, simultaneou'siy drawing the corrosion-resistant metal around rthe sides of the billet metal to forma blank having an end covered by a cup-shaped corrosion-resistant metal piece in integral bonded relation thereon, extruding the blank through a second cylindrical extrusion throat with the billet metal portion of the blank forming the leading end of the blank to reduce the billet portion to valve stem diameter, terminating the extrud.- ing operation as the sides of the corrosion-resistant metal enter the extrusion throat to underlap the non-extruded portion of the billet metal with corrosion resistant metal, and coining the composite head portion o f the resulting elongated blank to flatten the head portion into poppet valve shape and produce a composite valve head composed of billet metal and corrosion-resistant metal with the corrosion-resistant metal completely surrounding and underlapping the head portion of the billet metal for defining the valve seat face.

4. The method of making a composite headed article Afrom a bi-,metal slug composed of a metal body with an end cover of diierent metal bonded thereto which comprises simultaneously extrudf ing and drawing said slug progressively from the end cover end thereof to reduce the diameter of both metals thereof and to draw the cover metal around the body metal, extruding the body metal of the resulting extruded blank to form an elongated reduced diameter shank therefrom, termi,- nating the extruding operation before the cover metal of the blank is extruded to leave a head end on the elongated shank composed of both metals, and coining the head to desired contour.

5. The method of making a poppet valve from a bi-metal vslug composed of a main body formed from stress-resisting tough steel and an end `cover 175 composed of corrosion vresisting steell integrally bonded to the main body which comprises simultaneously extruding and drawing the slug progressively from the covered end thereof to reduce the diameter of the slug and to draw the cover around the sides of the resulting reduced diameter blank, extruding the blank progressively from the tough steel end of the blank to form an elongated reduced diameter Valve stem, terminating the last mentioned extrusion as the leading sides of the cover are drawing inwardly to partially underlap the non-extruded portion of the blank for forming a sheathed head on the stem, and flattening the sheathed head to form a puppet valve head on the stem.

JOHN WISCI-IHUSEN.

GEORGE D. DOLCH, JR. 

